historyisfun - Kotaku

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Preserving Abandoned Treasures
On the LOC Preserving Virtual Worlds Project
Saving Our Past: the UK Video Game Archive
IBM and the Palace Museum Launch the 'Virtual Forbidden City'
Preserving Our History: Good Games Never Go Out of Style

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Kobun
11/30/08

In reply to Preserving Abandoned Treasures
I really loathe how these piracy sites use the label "abandonware" to generate ad revenue buy giving away other people's property. The simple fact is that these sites should request the authorization to distribute the copyrighted material -- content they specifically know they didn't create -- before they make it public and reap its benefits instead of relying on a cease-and-desist letter, praying that the legal team representing the IP holder remains unaware of their warez site.

Likewise, piracy game sites often act as though they care about preserving old games, yet all they care about is getting away stealing other people's games. There is never an attempt to document related materials, packaging, history, or advertising, and many sites actually cripple the game download by stripping it of its movie and other files just to save money on their own bandwidth. Being in the business of profiting off other people's efforts is not something I'd been willing to condone, ethically or in any shape and way of helping the industry.
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ShaggE wants to join the Egg Council.
11/30/08

In reply to Preserving Abandoned Treasures
I love abandonware. Sometimes it's really the only way to get some lesser-known classics. I don't see it as piracy at all, since the games I go after just don't exist in a hard copy anymore.
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Komrade Kayce
11/30/08

In reply to Preserving Abandoned Treasures
I'm outraged.

No mention of HOTU?!?!

Sure, they may have not been updated in years now due to the site admin taking a long long long leave of absence (she might never be coming back), but its still the first and best preservation of abandonware out there. Even going so far as to contacting authors of games looking for permission to host them.

Sigh... to be living in 1998 again.
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Komrade Kayce
11/30/08

@Komrade_Kayce:

Oh yeah, huge Abandonware buff here, this Kayce guy. Seriously. I had a crap 233 mhz until like 2003 (yeah yeah, yuk it up) on Windows 95 and so was pretty fluxed in DOS prompt.

Sites like the Underdogs were the only thing I had to experience games with.
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Gouki4u
11/30/08

@Komrade_Kayce: If you read the article on Escapist HOTU is the first site the author links to.
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Komrade Kayce
11/30/08

@Gouki4u:

Wow, don't know how I missed that. I see it now.
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Chalkdust
11/22/08

In reply to On the LOC Preserving Virtual Worlds Project
Interesting, it's probably a good idea to try preserving this stuff for history, but at the same time, there's no way to really capture online game worlds to the extent you can with other parts of history. Video of gameplay, screenshots, and write ups are only part of it.
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(Human) Gyaruson
11/22/08

In reply to On the LOC Preserving Virtual Worlds Project
That would be cool to see, something like a gaming museum of sorts. It'd be a blast to walk through and see the very first text games and as you keep walking see the progression to where we are now. Playable kiosks would be a must.

Now that's some edutainment!!
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excel_excel
11/16/08

In reply to Saving Our Past: the UK Video Game Archive
Kids these days *cough, cough* I'll show em what real games used to be like!
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